Hi guys!

For the next few weeks I am going to be travelling across Argentina, Bolivia, Peru and Chile with a friend, delivering this newsletter to you from my various remote positions – yes.... the newsletter really does mean that much to me! What a nerd! – and so I promise to tell you a little about what I’ve been up to in the editor’s note as I go. Having said that, the rest of the newsletter will of course be dedicated to Buenos Aires...... I wouldn’t want to rub in the fact that I’m off enjoying myself too much now, would I?!

__________________________

Don’t forget to ‘Rate My Top Spots’

1. You happen to try out one of my ‘Top Spots’
2. You then email me at buenosairesclubhouse@saexplorers.org
3. In the email, you need only give me

• A rating: sad face, straight face, smiley face OR a face of your choosing!
• Your full name
• ONE sentence to attach to your rating

________________________________

Failing that, send me a photo or chase me up with a query. I always want to hear from you, even while I’m on route!

Ciao ciao
Tracey

SPANISH CONVERSATION CLASS* (EVERY) Wednesday.
Next lesson: Wednesday 29th July at 3:30pm @ the clubhouse.
Learn how to string your words together! Join us every Wednesday for an informal conversation class with a teacher from ELE BAIRES. RSVP encouraged.
FREE for members and $8 pesos for non-members.
Please RSVP by sending an email at BAevents@saexplorers.org and reserve yourself a place.

_______________________________________

FREE Amauta Spanish School Event

Please contact the clubhouse this week by email or phone to find out the events on offer.
Please RSVP by sending an email to BAevents@saexplorers.org and reserve yourself a place.

_______________________________________

Monthly English Language Book Club
Tuesday 28th July - 3-5pm This event is exactly what is described through the title and is being run by one of our members. However, if you feel you need more information or if you want to attend, you can RSVP to Geraldine: gtrtampafl@yahoo.com

_______________________________________

ADVANCED WARNINGS

Please RSVP by sending an email at BAevents@saexplorers.org and reserve yourself a place.

Katrina - ANOTHER new female intern at The Clubhouse
They just don't stop arriving now. There are so many of us! Katrina has done all the main tourist trips in South America, as she puts it, and is at present updating our trip info sheets to share some of that all important knowledge. Come in and read her notes or send an email with a question to: volunteerba@saexplorers.org

__________________________________

ADVERTISING WITH SAE!!!!
We are at present focusing a lot on advertising. This is because we have a new publication coming out (a guide book that we will be selling here in the Clubhouse) which will be full of tourist and expat advice that can’t be found in other guide books, because we’re writing it! It is first-hand knowledge, written by real expats who live here in BA and is therefore the most up-to-date information that can be found. If you want to advertise with us, making yourself known to expats and tourists who pass through our office or who live in BA, contact our Marketing Manager, Jessica Dufresne at baadvertising@saexplorers.org

___________________________________

INTERN WITH US!
Over the past few months we’ve had some fantastic interns – Caroline Major (Brazil expert from London), Amelia Edwards (Events Manager from Philadelphia), Jessica Dufresne (Marketing Wizz Kid from Michigan) and the newest Caroline Stephenson from Wales, who seems to be dipping into everything that needs doing right now. We are a fantastic bunch and it’s a pleasure coming to the office every day. So, if you want some SAE experience and you feel you’ve got something to offer, get in touch with us at baclub@saexplorers.org

___________________________________

___________________________________

Storing Luggage at The Clubhouse
Please remember that if you want to store or pick-up luggage you need to make an appointment with us beforehand via email. This is because we store all luggage at a different location and we will need to organise a time to meet. Email all luggage correspondence to baclub@saexplorers.org

___________________________________

Poke us, befriend us.
Please visit our facebook page because it includes lots of stuff about events, contact details (that are up-to-date!) and more. Find us online at

___________________________________

WE HAVE TELEPHONE CONNECTION!
Finally, the powers that be here in BA have managed to get around to connecting our telephone line and so you can now call us from anywhere the city on 5275 0137 (+54 11 and then the number if you're calling from outside Argentina or if you're using skype to call us). Also, if you need to make a local call to any landline here in the city you can do so from our office for FREE.

Yoga Classes @ Il Ballo de Mattone on Gorriti 5936
Tuesday 28th July @ 11am
In need of some relaxation? Take yourself along to this yoga class. See the link below for prices.
www.ilballo.com.ar

_______________________________

Fiesta Clandestina @ Casa Clandestina, Sarmiento 777
Saturday 1st August @ 11.45pm
Circus acts, clowns, acrobats and performers galore. A strange advert for the newsletter, I know, but then I thought to myself..... why not? They may be someone out there who would really enjoy an event like this. If you do go, let me know what it was like.
Cost: 10 pesos

__________________________________

Wellness Expo @ Centro Costa Salguero, Siraa 2009
Friday 31st July – Saturday 1st August @ 10am – 8pm
This is a two-day annual event which grabbed my fancy because of its placement on the calendar. Devoted to improving our health and physical fitness, various products, services and fitness equipment will be on show, encouraging everyone to turn over a new leaf. How strange, because I’m so used to attaching this type of thought to the New Year. Still, if that’s the way the cookie crumbles here in BA, so be it!
Cost: Free

Amaranta Bistro and Pasteleria (Junin 1559, Recoleta)
This is the place for all those expats and tourists missing those basic food elements taken so much for granted back home, including jacket potatoes with various fillings, waffles or egg-based orders for breakfasts and a selection of really good fruit juices.

________________________________

The Argentine owners of this fantastic little place have found that there’s a market for attracting foreigners on the lookout for something familiar and have taken advantage of the situation to great effect. Even though the prices are a little on the expensive side, if you fancy a treat and perhaps a walk down memory lane if you’ve been living in BA for a long time, this place is worth the making the hole in the wallet for.

_________________________________

They’re good for breakfast time, with a choice of different set breakfast deals that combine eggs, toast, yoghurts, cereals, fruit juices and coffees. They’re good for lunch or what they have so beautifully called their ‘brunch’ menu, with hot baked jacket potatoes (which I recently found out are not called ‘jacket’ potatoes in The States – but they are in Britain and so we’re all learning something today!) or sandwiches with homemade bread. The breads are as broad as the fillings you can choose to go inside them and each sandwich order is served with roasted, thick-cut chips. They’re also good for full-on meals and delicious sweets (how could they not be in Buenos Aires???!!!)

________________________________

I cannot give this place enough praise. Really. Check it out. It’s easy to walk past this place, so be sure to note down the exact address before setting out, but other than that there’s nothing more to say. Carry plenty of pesos so that you don’t have to limit yourself when you see the fantastic range of things on offer to tempt you and write in to give me your opinions USING OUR NEW ‘TOP SPOTS’ RATING SYSTEM EXPLAINED IN LAST WEEK’S NEWSLETTER buenosairesclubhouse@saexplorers.org

Don't forget to RATE me!......see Editor's Note.

Touristy Recoleta by Night (Vicente Lopez - the stretch of bars by the cemetery)
A few weekends ago, I found myself in the very touristy part of Buenos Aires’ Recoleta neighbourhood (by this I mean the part of town very close to the cemetery where there’s a long stretch of reasonably ordinary bars and restaurants). I began my evening with a good friend in a bar called ‘Silvar’ and slowly drank my way through a very pleasant vodka-based cocktail, whilst my friend enjoyed a huge portions of nachos and dips to accompany his Guinness (from a bottle – not the tap – don’t get excited!)

_____________________________

We then danced to a variety of salsa, 80s international pop and reggaeton in a club along the same stretch called Pagana (Vicente Lopez 2134). The cost to get in was 15 pesos, but it included a drink. Not your average run of the mill, cheap offering of bottled beer either. I enjoyed a frozen daiquiri with my entrance ticket, although orders of rum or vodka or whisky and coke were just some of the other choices I noticed on the promotional menu. Not bad! On top of that, we were also given an extra ticket for our 15 peso entrance fee which allowed us to come back the following week for free. (Needless to say, I didn’t use it, but I appreciated the thought behind the deal for sure).

______________________________

So, why am I drawing your attention to this part of town for a night’s entertainment? Well, certainly not because I think it’s the best part of town to go out in. There are far more other places that have a lot more culture and class about them. Other places are far more magical and interesting. Other places are just simply cheaper and cooler. However, I’m writing about my experience because I didn’t think I was going to have a good time, but I did. This tourist-trap of a street left me happy as I put me key in the lock after 5am.

Don't forget to RATE me!......see Editor's Note.

Argentine Congressional Elections
The congressional elections (brought forward from October for the first time in recorded history in March) took place a few weeks ago in June 2009. The results were unquestionably unfavourable for the present government but luckily for them the present concerns surrounding the Gripe A epidemic  are sweeping across the news coverage. Without this distraction, an apparent recovery would not have been so easy to achieve.

________________________________

I have lived in Buenos Aires since April 2009 and have, to date, only met one Argentine who openly admits to favour and support their president. However, even they admitted to voting for a different party during the congressional elections, fearing that too many government seats in congress would not provide the favourable mix of thoughts and ideas needed for Argentina to function properly as a real democracy.

________________________________

What I did enjoy during the election run-up was the continual parodies of candidates including Cristina and her husband Néstor Kirchner (former Argentine president) through popular TV shows on regular national TV channels. Even with my still developing Spanish, the jokes were as clear as day and the visual aspect of the parodies were very entertaining.

________________________________

Many political party leaders also fought back a little by referring to their impersonators when making political party speeches. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIv4YV86Zuw&feature=related This showed a lot of strength of character and managed to somewhat soften my always suspicious nature towards politicians in general; it did in fact help me to listen to their ideas more..... a good political move on their part I thought.

________________________________

Have a little look at this link to youtube which parodies the political campaigns of Kirchner and then links to other related info. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oO8IX1cB7Iw Always worth being clued in to popular political thought, I feel.

Inexplicable rising prices.
Living on a serious budget here in Buenos Aires makes you acutely aware of rises in the prices of everything. You know where all the best places are to shop and in South America it really does make a difference. Some small shops in my Palermo neighbourhood sell the cheapest cashews I’ve found, for instance, but sell stupidly expensive muesli in comparison to the rest of the city. However, even if you weren’t on a budget, you would notice the immediate and obscene rise in prices that I saw in ‘Disco,’ a supermarket chain in BA, last week.

____________________________________

During my five month stay so far, nuts in ‘Disco’ have been roughly 7 or 8 pesos per 100g for cashews, almonds and pistachios, give or take a peso here and there.  However, last week the prices rose to a whopping 18 – 20 pesos per 100g. Why is this? Why do prices change so much in South America in comparison to the likes of the UK, The States and Western Europe?

___________________________________

Normally, you could put it down to the fact that so much is imported and a lot of those importations are controlled and run by government companies. This means that there’s very little competition and therefore no need to try to out-sell a competing company. Prices can stay high because there’s no other option for the consumer. However, at present, Argentina is just a few weeks out of congressional elections and word on the street is that prices always go sky high and the peso always loses value in the world market after an election of any kind. Therefore, the situation is perhaps a little worse at present.

______________________________________

If anyone else has noticed huge rises in prices on certain goods, please do write in and let me know. It has become a little individual interest of mine recently, particularly as the rise in nut prices is specific to ‘Disco’ only – as far as I can see.

Palabras, Palabras!
Mangos is the Argentine equivalent for ‘quid’ or ‘bucks.’ Therefore, you can say ‘Sale 10 mangos’ (it costs 10 pesos/quid/bucks) for example.

--------------------------

--------------------------

LAST WEEK’S QUESTION.......What is ‘Café Tortoni’? Café Tortoni is a very famous café here in BA. It regularly hosts evenings of live music and is found in a building where original features have been preserved as best as possible. It is perhaps in some ways a tourist trap, but it is also a beautiful architectural site. Worth a visit, I think.

--------------------------

--------------------------

THIS WEEK’S QUESTION.......What is ‘GuiaT’?

Answers to: buenosairesclubhouse@saexplorers.org

Next week, I'll publish the answer....Ooooo!

Remember that for the next few weeks, the SAE girly team are sharing their photo albums with you. Last week, Tracey Chandler (ME!) shared the salt lakes in Venezuela. This week, SAE’s BA Director, Rebecca Hinely is sharing a beautiful shot of some children playing in the water in north-west Nicaragua, near Cosiguena Volcano.

___________________________________________

To enter our weekly competition, simply send in your pics to my email address buenosairesclubhouse@saexplorers.org (please put PHOTO COMPETITION in the subject heading) and be sure to include a little info about the photo along with your details so that we can give you credit.

Interested in putting a classified ad in this e-newsletter? Our e-newsletter goes out to over 2500 people weekly, in and around Buenos Aires. Contact SAE’s Jessica from the BA Clubhouse at baadvertising@saexplorers.org for more information.

___________________________________

Anthropologic Study
My name is Dr. Judith Freidenberg and I am an Argentine-American anthropologist currently researching the subject of U.S. expats in Buenos Aires (Argentina), Beijing (China) and Tokyo (Japan). I am writing to you in search of volunteers to participate in my research, which aims to understand the modern phenomena of the expatriate. If you are willing to participate please e- mail me at jfreiden@anth.umd.edu and I will send you a set of questions.
See the following blog for more information: www.usnationalsabroad.blogspot.com

___________________________________

DELE exams in Argentina
Elebaires is guiding our students to reach an international certification of Spanish.
ELEBAIRES offers you a specific course to prepare this exam, with a successful guarantee because we practice with past exams and full explanations about the way of solving the exam.
Course dates at Elebaires: 20th July to 19th August
Mondays and Wednesdays from 6pm to 8pm (20 hs)
Price: 325 USD
DELE Exams date: 21st August
Book your place: 43 83 77 06 info@elebaires.com
Ask for Beginner DELE Exams!

___________________________________

Looking for a place to stay????
SMALL BEDROOM WITH PRIVATE BATH IN LARGE, SUNNY PALERMO-RECOLETA APARTMENT. FULLY FURNISHED, WIFI, WASHING MACHINE, CABLE.
AR$1400 PER MONTH
CALL REBECCA 15-6416-2219 or email me @ rhinely@gmail.com

___________________________________

Learn Spanish with AMAUTA SPANISH SCHOOL
Finally in Buenos Aires! AMAUTA brought over 12 years of experience in Spanish Language and cultural study from Peru to Argentina. Exacting standards and engaging teachers put AMAUTA at the top of its class. Beautiful location with garden and terrace. Amazing discounts for the opening of the new locations ánd, we give away THREE ONE WEEK SPANISH COURSES per week, totally for free! Write now and you might be the lucky one. Till June 30th only. Also special discounts at our Cusco location.

www.amautaspanish.com, info@amautaspanish.com, www.spanishschoolsblog.com

or visit us: www.facebook.com/people/Amauta-Spanish/1500927779?sid=0&ref=search

_____________________________

FOR SALE
The SAE shop has expanded! Guide books from $15 pesos to $80 pesos (Lonely Planet South America on a Shoestring $60 pesos), Hiking Maps of Patagonia and road maps of Buenos Aires are now available. Come by to see more, or email us: baclub@saexplorers.org

_____________________________

EXPAT INFO
www.livinginargentina.com is an online publication for expatriates in Argentina. It is written in English, Spanish and French. It covers almost everything that an expat might need to know and offers some interesting articles to read at the same time. Check it out!

_____________________________

LANGUAGE CLASSES
Learn Spanish with Elebaires!!!
We offer a variety of intensive Spanish courses for all levels in both private and group classes! All Elebaires teachers are university accredited and will do everything they can to help you meet your linguistic goals. Contact us via email at info@elebaires.com.ar or visit our website: http://www.elebaires.com.ar.

______________________________

TOURISM
BA: Mallory Outdoors - Located in Palermo, Mallory offers a plethora of camping and ski equipment as well as custom knives and outdoor clothing. Stop in and browse the selection and receive a 10% discount on any purchase with your SAE member card. English and Spanish spoken.
Open Monday-Friday 10:30-21 and Saturdays from 9-15